Hermit Druid

[mistercakes]

you'll enjoy this deck if you like losing to blood moon, which fortunately is never played in this format.

[Soldier of Fortune]

I miss The Source.

I don't play Legacy anymore but every now and then, I like to swing by and check the Shortcake forum to see how my old friend is doing. Sadly, the activity seems to have dried up. Mostly, I'm just hoping I'll get to read one of Kap'n Cook's sweet ass tournament reports. Since I'm feeling a little nostalgic, I decided to do a quick tournament report in the back pages of a dead forum.

Misty Mountain Games in Madison is about a four and a half hour drive from Des Moines and is home to the best Premodern scene in the Midwest. I try to make as many of their PM events as possible and if you're in the Midwest, you should too. Actually, if you are a PM aficionado, I encourage you to try and make one of their events even if you are not in the Midwest. Every PM tournament I've managed to attend has been great, BK and company are amazing hosts and the competition is fierce. As soon as I saw they were hosting their first PM event of 2024, I was determined to make it.

I've been mostly playing/tinkering with Gro-A-Tog in preparation for Lobstercon and was ready to play it at Misty as it would be a nice warm up. Everything changed after I went 3-0 at our seven person FNM with a deck I've been working on over the past year.

Hermit Cephalid Breakfast

4 Hermit Druid
4 Cephalid Illusionist
4 Nomads en-Kor
1 Sutured Ghoul
2 Terravore

4 Cabal Therapy
4 Duress
3 Eladamri's Call
2 Worldly Tutor
4 Reanimate
2 Exhume
2 Shallow Grave
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Dragon Breath

1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Brushland
3 Caves of Koilos
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Reflecting Pool
1 Underground River
2 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard:
3 Absolute Law
1 Disenchant
2 Naturalize
1 Tranquil Domain
2 Ray of Revelation
1 Crippling Fatigue
1 Flaring Pain
1 Ghitu Slinger
1 Uktabi Orangutan
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Monk Realist


You'll notice this is not like the typical Hermit Druid decks like Angry Hermit or Hermit Full English Breakfast. The reason for that is simple, I just wanted to play Cephalid Breakfast. I'm not gonna go into too much detail regarding the decks inception or the changes I've made over the year as I want to keep this report short and sweet. But, if anyone is interested I'd be more than happy to make another post with more information. Anyways, since Cephalid combo and Hermit Druid do the same thing, I decided my approach would be to jam them together and go all in on the mill myself and reanimate Sutured Ghoul plan.

We drive up to Madison on Friday and arrive around 9 PM. Fish Fry Fridays are a big thing in WI so we stop to get some fish & chips and wash our food down with some Spotted Cow, a Wisconsin specialty. Our friend and host joins us for some more Spotted Cow and then we make our way to our his house to crash for the night but not before making some last minute changes to our decks, just like all great Magic players. The combination of excitement for the tournament and the uncomfortable couch make it so I don't fall asleep until 2:30 AM. I wake up around 7 and go out to find some coffee. I find a coffeeshop down the street that also has doughnuts and we are off to a great start. At this point, I'm tired, annoyed and wondering if its worth it... fuck it, this is getting too long.

Midsummer Revel @ Misty Mountain Games
July 20, 2024
I didn't take any notes so this is all from memory. Apologies in advance for any mistakes or mix ups.

Round One
Adam on BUG Zombie Infestation

Of fucking course. Four of us came up together, three from Des Moines, one from Madison and all four of us got paired with each other. It always sucks when you have to play the homies in the early rounds. I win the die roll and keep a hand that contains Duress, Nomads, Reanimate, Terravore and lands. As long as I find any of my tutors, Cephalid or Hermit in the next few turns, I'll be good to go. I Duress his Zombie Infestation, he follows up with a Careful Study and discards two Basking Rootwalla. I play my Nomad and a Terravore to keep the Rootwalla's at bay. He eventually finds Intuition for Zombie Infestation while I keep drawing dead. The zombie's aren't out of control just yet as he only has one Squee. I top deck a Hermit Druid but Adam is able to answer it with Smother. He finds a second Intuition which gets him Squee, Wonder and Krovikan Horror and I die.

Game two and three are kind of a blur. In game two, I'm able to discard an Ebony Charm(spicy) from Adams hand, destroy a ZI and play around his counters. I win with the Cephalid combo. Game three I Therapy a Zombie Infestation on turn one and follow up with Nomad. Adam proceeds to draw two more Squee's and a Krovikan Horror and I'm able to combo him with the Cephalid.

1-0 (2-1)

Round Two
Ryan on Burn

I have no idea what Ryan is playing. I keep a hand that has Hermit and a reanimation spell. I again win the die roll, play a land and pass. Ryan plays Mountain, Seal of Fire. Shit. I have a knack for playing decks that tend to be absolute shit versus Burn. Hermit Cephalid Breakfast is no exception. Burn is our worst match up and winning game one is near impossible. I play Hermit, Ryan kills it, burns me EOT. A Grim Lavamancer comes down on turn two followed but a Ball Lightning or two and turns me into Takoyaki.

I wish I had taken notes because I don't remember what I did for sideboarding throughout the day. What I can tell you is that its all based off vibes. I bring in three Absolute Law, one Ray of Revelation, Sylvan Safekeeper, and some number of artifact removal spells in case they have Crypt. I take out some number of discard spells, tutor and maybe even a Nomad, Cephalid and Reanimate

Game two I keep a hand of two Hermit's, a reanimation spell and Olle Råde. I think my opponent mulligans their first hand. I play a land and Duress away a Lava Dart. Ryan plays a Jackal Pup. I play a turn two Hermit that meets a Bolt on Ryan's turn two and is followed by a Lavamancer and a swing from the Pup. I drop my third land, play Safekeeper and Hermit. I'm feeling good about this one, my life total is still high, I have two lands in hand as well as a reanimation spell and I'm ready to sacrifice all my lands to protect Herm. Ryan draws, attacks and passes and I'm able to combo off.

For game three, I have it all including Absolute Law. I just need to survive until my turn four and hope Ryan isn't playing Crypt. Ryan starts off with a Pup, I have a Therapy that I think doesn't hit. A Mogg Fanatic joins the party on Ryan's side while I drop the Law on turn two. Ryan quips that he knows where all the burn is headed. Ryan misses the third land drop but plays a Lavamancer. I drop a turn three Nomad and Hermit while lamenting that it might be too slow due to the amount of life I would have to pay. Ryan has a Fireblast and Lightning Bolt in hand that I know of. I keep adding up all the damage without taking into account the Therapy in my GY and I'm not liking what I see. Oh well, I still gotta go for it. I sacrifice the Nomad to flashback Therapy. Ryan isn't willing to sacrifice their only two Mountains to cast Blast in response so I take it. I eat a Bolt EOT, Ryan draws a second Lavaman for the turn and scoops it up. On my fourth turn I would have been able to activate Hermit, Reanimate Ghoul and with the Dragon Breath trigger on the stack, flashback Ray of Revelation to destroy Absolute Law and attack for the win. If Ryan had Blasted and Bolted in response to Therapy, then I would have needed to set up a Shallow Grave kill which would give them an extra turn but they'd be without lands. It was close and I felt like I got super lucky. We take those.

2-0 (4-2)

I go outside to get some fresh air and run into Thursday. We both play the Mythic Online Society Premodern Leagues and he was one of the first people to play against this deck. We catch up for a bit, he's stoked that I'm off to a good start with the deck. When I ask about his day he mentions he had just lost to Reanimator with a turn one Akroma in both games. I don't know much, but I do know vigilance is pretty good versus Stasis.

Round 3
Jim on Reanimator

All I remember from my hand is that it had lands, a Nomad and Reanimate. It might have had Hermit as well. I win the third die roll of the day like a true scumbag and start with Caves into Nomad. Jim draws for the turn, drops a land, plays Careful Study and discards two cards. I don't remember what the first card to be discarded was but the second card was Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Sick. Jim passes the turn and I can't draw my card fast enough. I tap Caves of Koilos for black mana and cast Reanimate targeting Akroma, Angel of Wrath. "What the fuck" Jim blurts out. I laugh and start bashing. A Putrid Imp comes into play for Jim. I Therapy, hitting Exhume while also seeing a Symbiotic Wurm. Bash again and Jim scoops it up after their next draw step.

I side in enchantment removal in case Jim is playing Oath of Druids. My hand contains Hermit, Exhume and maybe a Therapy I think. Jim starts off with a land and Petal and passes. I think I Therapy but I don't remember what I named or if I hit or whiffed. Jim brings out Akroma and bashes me on their second turn and I follow up with the Hermit. A second attack from Akroma brings me down to six or seven life and a Cabal Therapy is put on the stack by my opponent. I tense up while looking at the two Exhume in hand. To my relief, Reanimate is named. Jim passes the turn and I'm able to Exhume a 36/36 Ghoul that tramples past Akroma, Angel of Wrath.

3-0 (6-2)

Round Four
Shafer on RG Survival Welder

Shafer is the other homie I made the trip with. He previously made Top 8 with the same deck and it looked like he was in route for another one. We draw and are the only undefeated players after round four. We did play one half-assed game for fun and I finally lost the die roll. I Therapy for Survival and miss. He gets some mana dorks out. I land a turn three Hermit and he follows up with a turn four Tangle Wire. I have a land in hand and I'm able to activate Hermit on my upkeep, Krosan Reclamation targeting Reanimate and win from there. Pizza was provided for lunch so we decide not to play sideboard games and instead go stuff our faces.

3-0-1 (6-2)

Round Five
Alex on Goblins

I did a little scouting during round four so I know Alex is on Goblins. For a split second I considered playing to possibly lock up the top seed and more importantly, be on the play in Top 8 but I decide I'd rather continue stuffing my face with Za and we draw.

3-0-2 (6-2)

After the fifth round ends I check the standings and to my surprise, I'm still in first. It just so happened that all but one of the 3-1 or better players drew and the one that got the pair down lost.

Quarterfinals
Dylan on Elves

Dylan is awesome. All of Misty's PM tournaments are charity events for Briarpatch Youth Services thanks to Dylan's connection to them. I know Dylan is on Elves and I tell them I'm on Hermit Breakfast. This was my first time on stream for the day but unfortunately it is rather anticlimactic as our entire match takes about a total of five minutes. Game one I play Hermit on turn two and win on turn three while my opponent dropped three mana dorks. Game two is pretty much the same except I Therapy for Survival on turn one and miss. Turn two I once again play a Hermit. Dylan has a few elves and draws a couple cards from Multani's Acolyte in combination with Wirewood Symbiote but doesn't find anything to interact with me and I Shallow Grave for the win on turn three.

4-0-2 (8-2)

Semifinals
Ethan on Gro-A-Tog

Ethan won the last PM tournament at Misty and is looking to make it two in a row. While we waited for the last quarterfinal to end, Ethan and I were chitchatting about GAT and how awesome we think the deck is to play. Now that I think of it, as far as I'm aware, every player who has piloted GAT at Misty has made Top 8.

Anyways, I'm pretty familiar with this match up and feeling pretty good, especially being on the play. My seven consists of Hermit, Nomad, Cephalid, Exhume, Reclamation, Adarkar Wastes and Coast. No discard spells but I can get under their counters. The biggest issue with this hand is the lack of black mana but I decide to risk it, after all, luck has been on my side all day. I start off with a Nomad while Ethan plays a turn one Meddling Mage naming Reanimate. No worries, we still have plenty of ways to win. I draw a Shallow Grave for the turn and now I have a decision to make, Herm or Ceph? I decide to play Herm to bait out a possible STP or Fire/Ice. Ethan plays a Flooded Strand, attacks, follows up with a Portent, chooses not to shuffle, passes and draws. We dodged the STP and Fire so I'm feeling pretty confident, now I just need a black source. I draw Dragon Breath for turn. Woof. I tank for a bit trying to decide how I want to play out the next few turns. I decide to play Cephalid with the thought of milling myself for two or three Therapies and ripping their hand apart on the following turn but Ethan counters it. Ethan ups the pressure by playing a Dryad and another Portent with again, no shuffle. I draw my third land but it's a Brushland. I'm at 12 life and feeling the pressure so I make the choice to go for it. My plan is to activate Hermit, Therapy and Krosan targeting two Gemstone Mine. My initial gut reaction is to name Gush with Therapy but I name Foil and reveal Mox, Tog and Gush. Always trust your gut. I sacrifice the Nomad to force the Gush and name STP and miss. In hindsight, it was probably a mistake, I should have just passed. Ethan drew and Island and Portent off the Gush and draws for turn, plays Portent, no shuffle and drops me to five. I finally draw a black source, cast Exhume but Ethan had found the Counterspell off the Portent and I die.

I think I side in a Safekeeper for protection, Monk Realist, Naturalize and Ray for Engineered Plague.

My opening seven has two Duress a Hermit, Cephalid, Caves, Coast and Ghoul. While this is pretty much a six card hand, I to keep it on the strength of two Duress. I cast the first Duress revealing two Islands, a Strand, Gush, Mage, Dryad and Mox. I take the Mox and pass. Island, go. I draw a Terravore, play my second land and jam the Hermit. At this point, my plan is to win by hard-casting Terravore so I'm hoping that by playing out the Hermit, my opponent will be compelled to play Mage naming Krosan Reclamation. I pass the turn and Ethan feels that if they don't kill the Hermit this turn, they're dead. Ethan has the Fire but they can't cast it without Mox Diamond so they play their second Island, float two blue and cast Gush in a desperate attempt to find it but whiff. A Portent is cast off the floating Mana, chooses not to shuffle and discards an Island to hand size. I draw Reflecting Pool, play Duress and take STP leaving them with two Strand, Island, Dryad, Mage, Fire/Ice and Engineered Plague. I play the Cephalid as I might need Therapy fodder. Island go is Ethan's turn. I draw another Hermit, play a 1/1 Terravore and pass. Ethan draws, plays the Strand, fetched for a Plains and drops the Meddling Mage. I don't remember what they named but it didn't matter, as soon as it was cast I knew the coast was clear. I attack with Terravore, Ethan says they'll take two but I let them know that I'll be activating Hermit before damage and swing in for lethal.

Cephalid, Hermit, Pool, Llanowar Wastes, Reanimate, Mine and City are the cards I decide to keep for game three. Ethan starts off with a Sleight of Hand off an Island. I draw a Cabal Therapy for turn and play Gemstone Mine. Hermit is my easiest route to victory and I don't want it getting locked in my hand so I name Mage and miss. I do see a hand of Island, Strand, City, STP, Dryad and Counterspell. Next turn I draw Exhume and play Cephalid into two open Island. I doubt my opponent will use their Counterspell but if they do, its a huge win. They don't, they play a City and pass back. I draw another Hermit on my third turn, play the Llanowar Wastes and flashback Therapy to take away their STP while revealing a Tog and Sleight of Hand. I force them to use the Counterspell on Hermit and then Reanimate it. Its now or never. They cast Portent, Sleight of Hand and Opt but don't find an answer and I'm able to Exhume the Ghoul for the win!

5-0-2 (10-3)

So our initial plan was to leave by 6:00 PM in order to make the Jeff Rosenstock concert in Iowa City. The other semifinal match was the homie Shafer versus Alex. It was about 5:35 when they started game three. There is no way the stars align and both Shafer and I make the finals and leave on time, right!?

Yeah, right. Shafer kept a sketchy hand and the Goblins took advantage of him. It's about 5:45 by the time their match ends I tell Shafer I'm ready to concede so we can hit the road but he gives me his blessing to play on and avenge him.


Finals
Alex on Goblins

Goblins can be hard, they have Mogg Fanatic and Gempalm to keep my creatures off the field. I keep a six that has Hermit, Shallow Grave, Nomads and three land and bottom a useless Duress. A turn one Nomad is deployed on my side while Alex just plays a Mountain and passes. I play Hermit on turn two and pass. I'm not sure my opponent was familiar with my deck because they played a Port and deployed a Piledriver instead of passing and Porting me off green mana. I untap play a land, activate the Hermit and Shallow Grave with the Ghoul on top.

I side in three Absolute Law, and hate for Tormod's Crypt which I had seen my opponent play versus Shafer.

Game two starts off with my second mulligan of the day but my six contains Hermit, Law, Reanimate and three land. I just gotta hope there is no Lackey from my opponent on turn one. Mountain pass meets Coast pass into Wasteland on Coast and still on one drop. Love it. I draw a Nomad and play it off the Caves hoping to bait a Fanatic. Instead my opponent plays a Lackey and passes. I drop the Law on turn three and I'm pretty sure my opponent isn't playing green so I'm feeling like the game is locked up. Alex plays a Port and decided they've gotta build a board and go wide so they play a Piledriver. I play a Brushland and Hermit and pass, ready to go for the kill next turn. Alex cycles a Gempalm looking for an answer and rips the Crypt off the top! We play on. I draw a couple lands while Alex plays a Ringleader, Lackey, second Piledriver and a couple Fanatics. Just as it starts looking grim, Eladamri shows up and Calls upon the Orangutan to clean up the Crypt. The all out attack from Alex is not enough and the Ghoul rises from it's Shallow Grave and claims another victim!

And there you have it. I won $50 in store credit along with an altered Deranged Hermit and Midsummer Revel for my troubles. PM is the most fun I've had playing Magic in such a long time that the four hour drive is totally worth it, even when I leave emptyhanded.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. It was not my intention to make it this long, I even thought about scrapping the entire thing midway through because it was taking way more time than I expected but fuck it, long live MTG The Source.

Props:
My opponents. You were all great and I had a wonderful time playing Magic with you.
Max for letting us crash at his house.
BK and Misty for hosting another amazing event and even having a Pizza break!
Lady Luck, thanks for being on my side all day. I'll probably never see you again.
Adam for buying dinner
Shafer for making Top 8 with me

Slops:
Shafer for not making the final
Shafer for getting Creed stuck in my head all weekend
Shafer, Adam and Me for not making the Jeff Rosenstock concert because we are old and tired.

[H]

Great report, thanks for posting. Interesting list, I haven't seen many Hermit Druid lists lately. Unfortunately I am not much of a combo player and I also don't own Hermit Druids for who knows what reason.

I actually think there is likely still a good bit of brewing still out there for Premodern decks of many types. Unfortunately I don't have a local group here, or MTGO (or the skill) to really do it.

[KillemallCFH]

Thanks for this! Reading a tournament report on The Source was nostalgic as hell. Probably the first time I've logged in here in over a decade.

The deck looks sick. I think Lanny played against you on MTGO on one of his videos and you were running a similar list, looked great. Breakfast is still relatively underexplored/unoptimized space in Premodern, and this seems like a clean version. Keep us updated.

Also, I'm deciding now that even if I go 0-X, I'm gonna write up a tournament report for LobsterCon and post it on here. I miss The Source :(. Let's keep it alive.